The Road Haulage Association welcomes the news that the Prime      Minister intends to revisit the Conservative proposal to ‘share the  risk’ of higher fuel prices between the government and road users.

“We supported the proposal of a fair fuel stabiliser when it was first raised four years ago and we shall be supporting it now”, said RHA chief executive Geoff Dunning. “This will certainly go some way to help relieve the crippling financial burden currently being faced by UK hauliers and we shall be pressing for its implementation as soon as possible.

“We were greatly encouraged when the Coalition, within weeks of taking power, proposed the possibility of a fuel duty stabiliser and were extremely disappointed when the plans were shelved for ‘financial reasons’. In 2009, road users contributed nearly £50 billion to Treasury coffers”, Dunning continued. “£32 billion of that came from fuel duty and VAT on fuel yet only a small proportion was returned through road building and maintenance. The fact that the price of fuel before tax has risen dramatically means that the Treasury will get far more revenue than expected from the hike in fuel duty on 1 January and the VAT increase on 4 January, so 2011 looks set to be a bumper year for tax income from fuel.

“The money is there”, concluded Dunning. “Let’s see some of it being used in a way that may well provide the lifeline that UK hauliers have been so desperately waiting for”.

December van registrations

Total van and truck registrations came to 20,260 units in December, up 25.6% for the month. Full year figures were 257,373 units for 2010, 16.4% up on last year.

Trucks were up 51.6% to 3,174 in December, full year at 34,458 units just 0.8% down. Vans performed better, up 21.7% to 17,086 in December; full year at 222,915 units, up 19.6%.

“During 2010 van and truck registrations posted one of the strongest annual rates of growth ever, at 15.9%, as volumes started to recover from the recession,” said Paul Everitt, SMMT chief executive. The van market rose in all but one month in 2010, boosted by better than expected business confidence and improved output from the construction sector. Truck registrations grew rapidly in the second half of 2010 and ended the year on par with 2009 levels. “While we still have a long way to go to get volumes back to pre-recession levels, we expect more growth in 2011 and 2012,” he continued.

There’s been another German win this week as Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles has secured a £1.7m deal to supply over 80 Transporter vans to Arcus Engineering.

Arcus operates the refrigeration maintenance contract in the South East for Sainsbury’s. The fleet comprises the new, more fuel-efficient Volkswagen Transporter van launched earlier this year, along with some of Volkswagen’s smaller van, the Caddy, to work in and around London.  The vehicles, interior conversions and contract hire agreement have been managed by Lex Autolease.

The firm, based in Upminster, Essex, is a new refrigeration division to sister company ArcusFM which manages the facilities contract for the national network of Sainsbury’s stores.

Past experience and the reputation of the Volkswagen brand helped to secure the order. ArcusFM fleet manager, Janet Bass, said: “It was imperative that we launched Arcus Engineering with a fleet that was reliable and robust. Abridge Van Centre was very helpful throughout the process by providing a range of demonstrator vehicles that we could test at our leisure before making the decision.”

“We are delighted that Arcus Engineering is satisfied with the vehicles and our customer service,” said Wendy Williamson, commercial sales manager at Abridge Van Centre in Loughton, Essex.

“We continually work hard on providing a high level of customer service and developing our links with local businesses and we believe this acquisition is evidence of that,” she added.

The Telegraph, meanwhile, has published the results of a new survey showing that texting and chatting on the phone are still major distractions for motorists, despite the fact that they’re illegal.

More than half (51%) of 3,000 drivers polled said they believed that motorists were losing concentration through texting.

Four in 10 of those questioned by Autoglass said they believed that chatting on the phone was also distracting millions of drivers, with those in the 55-plus age group believed to be worst-affected.

The top ten distractions in full:

1. Texting 51%

2. Talking on phone 45%

3. Changing radio/CD player 40.4%

4. Staring at an accident 39.8%

5. Eating or drinking 37%

6. Children in the car 36%

7. Chatting to a passenger 32.3%

8. Road rage 32%

9. Having an argument 31%

10. Lighting a cigarette 29%

Britain’s most lucrative speed trap

If you’re prone to any of the above, you’d better stay away from Peterborough too as a speed trap there has nailed nearly 1,000 drivers in just 10 days (bringing in £54,000).

Two fixed cameras installed to slow cars to 40mph approaching roadworks are thought to be the biggest moneyspinners in Britain, according to the Daily Mail.

Activated just 10 days ago, officials estimate 1,000 drivers a day speed past the cameras at over 40mph. But only those exceeding 46mph are issued with tickets.

The BVRLA has advised Chancellor George Osborne to abolish the tax disc and allow the purchase of multi-year Vehicle Excise Duty.

The suggestions came in the association’s submission ahead of the emergency Budget on 22 June.

More than 34 million tax discs are produced, printed and distributed annually and the BVRLA believes that eliminating them could save the government over £90 million each year.

The use of automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras and continuous registration laws mean there is no longer a need for tax discs to be displayed on windscreens.

With first-year vehicle excise duty rates rising significantly for high-emission vehicles, to £950 for some cars, Treasury officials have previously expressed concerns that high-value discs could increasingly be targeted by thieves.

“Not having to display a tax disc would bring us into the 21^st Century and reduce the burden on fleet owners, who would no longer have to distribute them to drivers or retrieve them when they were seeking to obtain a refund,” said BVRLA chief executive, John Lewis.

“It would help the government make instant progress in its plans to cut government waste and the money could be invested in modernising some of the DVLA’s antiquated systems and working practices.”

Multi-year VED

The BVRLA believes that introducing the ability to purchase multi-year VED would save the industry up to five million pounds in administration costs each year, as well as improving the cash flow to the Exchequer and reducing workload at the DVLA.

“Having previously shared our proposals with the DVLA, we know that it is equally keen to see this measure pursued,” Mr Lewis added.

Tax inequality

Elsewhere in its submission, the BVRLA outlines a number of simple changes that the government could make to the current company car tax regime in light of its ‘simpler and more efficient’ agenda. In particular, it calls for a removal of the current 3% diesel supplement in benefit-in-kind tax for company cars and fuel.

“Removing this historically out-of-date, pollution-related penalty would accelerate further corporate adoption of these vehicles and help to push company car emissions even lower,” said Mr Lewis.

“We accept that, in the current economic climate, there may be a need to make compensatory adjustments to the benefit-in-kind base lines in order to maintain the tax take.”

The Nissan NV200 is the reigining International Van of the Year 2010. The prestigious trophy is awarded each year by the 23-strong jury representing countries throughout Europe and this year the new Nissan has scooped the top award seeing off the challenge of Iveco’s EcoDaily and the Volkswagen Transporter.

NV200 is a completeley new van for the market and impressed the international jury with a number of key attributes, according to UK jury member Andy Salter. “THe NV200 is an excellent addition to the LCV ranks with the ability to tackle rivals across a variety of segmants,” he said. “Both payload and load volume are impressive, while the load area, with its efficient use of space and low wheelarch intrusion, makes it practical vehicle for multiple trades and industries.”

The judges were also taken by NV200′s high level of cab comfort and especially its low interior noise levels at high speed, Salter explained, while build quality, attention to detail, and all-round driver visibility came in for special mention.

Nissan is the first van manufacturer to design and develop a new model van that will be sold in the three main global van markets of Asia, Europe and North America. However, despite being a ‘world’ product, Nissan says there have been no design compromises although it has enabled the company to reduce production costs through the use of shared components.

With the election now behind us and the government in position we can now move on to more pressing issues – who would have bet on England winning the 20Twenty World Cup and Cardiff and Blackpool contesting the play-off final for a place in the Premiership … with the latter yet to be decided along with who will win the Guinness Premiership Final we have little time to rest before World Cup 2010 is finally upon us – stock up early as I’m told there will be a beer shortage this summer !

We hold no political views here but did voice some disappointment when we learned the Rainbow coalition failed to materialise – the thought of Bungle, Zippy and George sitting in the cabinet and discussing policy brought a whole new dimension and interest to politics !

On with the business and we’re back with a coalition of yet more world beating deals for the rest of the quarter ( sorry – couldn’t resist ) – check out our finalists below !

With the trees in full leaf and the mercury nudging ever closer to 20degrees it must be summer and time to take the top down – what better way than with a great deal on the A3 Cabriolet – stock is limited so order early ( speak to the dealer nicely and they may throw in a sun hat ! )

The Honda Jazz looks great value at under £150 per month – and that rates includes commission – stock is available within 3 weeks but it will be in demand to so get in early

We’re also featuring two great sub £300 deals on the VW Passat and Volvo V70 – big cars for small money !

Last but not least we’re back on board with a great deal on the Mercedes-Benz Vito – including 60k servicing and free ply-lining and the Toyota Hi-Lux pick-up – both less than £300 per month and both with stock available – just the thing to take home the new big screen Plasma TV in time for the World Cup !

As always space limits us to featuring only six offers in this update but click thru to the main site for more updated deals from all our group franchises for the rest of this quarter.

In the news this month is the eagerly awaited Audi A1 finally being available to order – stock will be extremely short for the remainder of this year so order now to stand any chance of seeing one before Christmas !

We’ll be back next month with our World Cup predictions, but in the meantime predict Blackpool will be making it into the Premiership ( and making it straight back down again next year ) and Leicester Tigers will triumph at Twickenham in the Guinness Premiership Final – remember you heard it here first !

Renault will extend its fleet of light commercial vehicles in the GCC with the introduction of two new practical and extremely affordable Logan Van and Pick-up models.

The two new vehicles will be officially launched at Commercial Vehicles Middle East (CVME) exhibition which takes place from March 9 to 11, 2010 at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre (DIEC).

“The fleet business across the region has been thriving and the demand for practical multi utility vehicles is always high. The Logan Van and Pick up models are robust models offering high levels of safety, passenger comfort and economy not just in fuel consumption but where maintenance and service costs are involved as well,”

said Mustansir Lakdawala, Renault GCC‘s Managing Director.

“We felt it was only fitting to launch these two new models at CVME as it is the regions only specialised event that attracts the right target audience under one roof,” he added.

The Logan Van is a sturdy entry level commercial vehicle that is aimed at small business owners, tradesmen, as well as small fleet customers. Meanwhile, the new Renault Logan Pick-up is perfect for those looking for a balance between work and leisure, meeting the needs of both business users and private motorists alike.

Designed from the outset with both the passenger car and commercial vehicle variants in mind, the Logan Van has been engineered to stand up to the wear and tear associated with commercial vehicle use, without neglecting either comfort or handling performance. Available in a 1.6 litre eight-valve petrol engine, the vehicle offers thrifty fuel consumption at only 7.5litres/100km.

The Logan Pick-up also features a 1.6 litre petrol engine. It is rugged and can be easily serviced, an important criteria for a utility vehicle.

Both models offer optimum efficiency, are sturdy and practical. The vehicles securely transport bulky loads (800 kg payload) owing to six anchoring points in the Logan Van and 16 lashing points in the bucket of Logan Pick-Up. They feature a carefully designed area for transporting long objects ranging from 180 cm (Logan Pick-Up) to 194 cm (Logan Van).

Occupants also benefit from a comfortable and functional passenger cabin with numerous storage areas – especially in the Logan Pick-Up which boasts of 300 litres of storage space behind the seats.

Lastly, as seen in all Renault vehicles, the two new Logan models have all the necessary active and passive safety features. On passive safety side, they include three-point seatbelts, driver airbag and an optional front passenger airbag. Both Renault models will be sold with a 3 year or 100,000km warranty.

The Treasury missed out on a whopping £215million last year due to it’s ‘bring your own fuel policy’. That’s the verdict of leading transport trade association, the FTA.

According to Simon Chapman, the FTA’s chief economist, politicians need to look at where they can recoup “easy money” yet they are failing to acknowledge the money they could save on fuel.

“A system to limit the amount of fuel able to be brought in from across the channel would bring in almost enough cash to build a brand new hospital every year, yet none of the political parties seems to have the appetite to tackle this issue,” he said.

He believes that while the majority of politicians seem to find a consensus on increases in fuel duty, British businesses are in peril because foreign competitors are able to undercut them.

“Each of the parties talks about fairness: here is an opportunity to extend that fairness to British businesses and to shore up Treasury coffers,” he said. “A quantity limit on the amount of fuel carried in the running tanks of trucks as they come into the country, paired with a time-based charge, or vignette, on foreign trucks while they are in the UK there would not only be a revenue stream but the authorities would also be better aware of which companies are operating on UK soil.”

He also believes that better intelligence and awareness through the introduction of a vignette could help to make the UK’s roads safer. Knowing who is on UK soil would help in the targeting of offenders and in keeping road users safe.